South Wales Man Pleads Guilty to Downloading Terrorist Publications

Thursday, May 25, 2017

A Cardiff man who downloaded publications on how to make explosives and carry out terrorist attacks has today (Thursday, May 25) been jailed.

Nathan Saunders (01/08/1993) pleaded guilty, at the Central Criminal Court, to five counts of possessing a record of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to section 58 of the Terrorism Act.

He was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment.

Saunders was arrested by officers from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit (NE CTU) and Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit (WECTU) in February following a joint intelligence led investigation.

Examination of his phone showed he had downloaded publications from the proscribed terrorist group Daesh (also known as “ISIS” “ISIL” or “IS”). These included articles giving advice on carrying out ‘lone actor’ attacks and glorifying terrorist attacks. Saunders had also downloaded a prohibited publication containing detailed instructions on how to make viable explosive substances and improvised explosive devices.

The investigation uncovered that Saunders had carried out online research into knives and the manufacture of incendiary devices, a worrying indication to police of his mindset at that time and a concern regarding the potential direction of his behaviour.

Detective Chief Superintendent Clive Wain, Head of North East CTU said "We recognise the potential risks posed by the ease of access online to publications that contain material that can be used for radicalisation purposes.

"The Counter Terrorism network work hard to stop people becoming radicalised online and will always act on information relating to extremist material but we do need assistance from the public in passing on information if they see such material. You can also report online content that concerns you or which you think could be illegal by visiting www.gov.uk/ACT OR If you see or hear something that could be terrorist related, act on your instincts and call the police, in confidence, on 0800 789 321.

“We also urge anyone who has concerns that a loved one may have been, or vulnerable to being, radicalised to contact police, including those who may be showing signs of wanting to travel to a conflict zone. Please contact us on 101.

Assistant Chief Constable Jon Drake of South Wales Police said: “Extremism and radicalisation is something that we continue to be constantly vigilant about.

“Saunders was arrested as part of a pre-planned and intelligence-led operation between counter terrorism officers here in Wales and in the North East and it is through this effective partnership working that he was apprehended which prevented him going on to commit even more serious offences and putting the public in danger.

“Nobody is better placed to detect something that is out of place in their communities than the people living in them. To effectively combat the terrorism threat the police, businesses, government and the general public need to work together.”

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

A 23 year old man from South Wales will appear before Westminster Magistrates tomorrow (Thursday, February 16) charged with possessing a record of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

Nathan Saunders from Tredegar has been charged with 5 counts under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Saunders was arrested by officers from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit (NE CTU) and Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit (WECTU) on February 8, 2017 following a joint, intelligence led investigation. A warrant of further detention was granted on February 10.